Government helping small businesses innovate

$150,000 to help Groupe Graham International Inc. and Formi 3DP Inc. develop innovative solutions to a government challenge

Ottawa, Ontario - As the single largest purchaser of Canadian goods and services, the Government of Canada is helping small businesses innovate and bring their innovations to market. That is why it has created Innovative Solutions Canada, a program that invites Canadian small businesses to develop innovative solutions to address government challenges.

The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, announced that Groupe Graham International Inc., based in Lachine, Quebec, and Formi 3DP Inc., based in London, Ontario, will each receive a $150,000 investment through this program.

The companies have proposed a way to incorporate frequency-selective engineered surfaces in the research and development of new building materials, construction products and design tools. The companies are proposing solutions to address issues of interference with Wi-Fi and radio frequencies.

With this challenge, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is looking to create a strong Canadian industry with expertise in the design of frequency-selective engineered surfaces and their application in connected vehicles.

The funding will support the companies’ research and development activities. If their concepts are selected to continue to the next stage, the companies could receive up to $1 million over two years to refine their prototype.

Twenty federal departments and agencies are looking for solutions to a range of challenges related to, for example, the environment, the military or remote communities.

Innovative Solutions Canada is a key component of the government’s Innovation and Skills Plan, a multi-year strategy to create well-paying middle-class jobs.